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Forces Capture 45 Suspected Militants in Kirkuk

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2009  Iraqi and coalition forces captured 45 suspected militants and killed one during operations May 31 in Kirkuk, Iraq, military officials said.

Combined forces killed the suspected terrorist and wounded another while attempting to arrest them during an operation in Kirkuk.

Both of the men were believed to be terrorist cell leaders involved in multiple kidnappings, murders and car bombings targeting Iraqi forces in Kirkuk province.

After moving toward the targeted building with an arrest warrant, the security forces received rifle fire that wounded one Iraqi soldier. Combined forces returned fire, killing one of the individuals and wounding the other, who was later found to be the wanted suspect. The slain enemy fighter was the suspect’s associate, military officials said.

In a highly coordinated operation the same day, combined troops detained 44 suspected insurgents in the Aruba district of Kirkuk city.

In the largest detention mission since the U.S. unit and Kirkuk city police began joint operations in February, the troops captured detainees suspected of supporting crimes such as high-profile terrorist attacks against civilians and Iraqi forces, extortion, kidnapping and drug sales, military officials said.